


Mirror Mirror

by NadoHunter



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fairy Tale Elements, Fic Rewrite, M/M, Rare Pairings, Rewrite, more tags to come as chapters posted, some hints at main character experiencing past abuse, sort of based on the concept of once upon a time with a merged fairy tale universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27097852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NadoHunter/pseuds/NadoHunter
Summary: William is meant to get married, but instead finds himself falling into a world covered in snow completely unlike the world he came from, and is soon found and taken in by the mysterious Ice King. What happens when fairy tales and fantasy suddenly become a chilling reality? Is it possible William could loose himself forever in this fantasy world? And would he ever even want to go back?Re-write of Frozen Hearts -> A sebawill fic I wrote and than orphaned a while back! I think I can improve on it so I want to do it over again and change it up!
Relationships: Sebastian Michaelis/William T. Spears
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. Snowfall

**Author's Note:**

> RE-WRITE here we go!

William stared at himself in a long mirror. It was edged with gold but had faded and rusted over time. He straightened his suit that had been tailored to fit him, ensuring the buttons that needed to be sewn back on several times wouldn’t fall off.

His family had squandered their wealth…. And that’s why he was in this awful situation that wasn’t even his fault to begin with. He was often blamed for even existing, even though it was his father’s drinking and gambling habits that was the true cause.

Even so… he was told to do the one thing he was good for. Get married to the daughter of a wealthy family.

It wasn’t that he hated his betrothed, not even slightly. She was a lovely and kind woman. Yet despite appreciating her kind nature… he couldn’t bring himself to love her. Further than the wedding, the impending doom of needing to _consummate_ the marriage and bring a child into a loveless marriage was the thought he _really_ hated.

He wasn’t delusional. He knew marrying for love was something that was best left in fairy tales… even if he had wished from the first book he ever read that there was a prince that would get him out of the hell he had been born into… or even a fairy godmother that would tell him he was special… and deserved love that his family never gave him.

But reality… was not kind. So here he stood, looking into the mirror preparing for his wedding day. A wedding that was forced to happen for no other reason but _greed_.

A harsh rapping at the door snapped him out of his thoughts, and his shoulders immediately stiffened as his father marched in. He immediately turned on his heel and faced the man that had towered over him and made William feel small and insignificant to this very day.

His father looked him over with cold eyes, scowled, and nodded.

“It’s time. _Don’t_ fuck it up, or embarrass us by forgetting your lines”

William nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good, get moving.”

He didn’t dare hesitate and walked in a stiff straight line to his destination. Standing upon the alter, minister looking bored… his parents looking on edge and pissed off as per usual in the front row… His stomach churned, he wasn’t entirely sure he could keep from loosing his breakfast right then and there. He swallowed hard, legs and hands feeling shaky…

His wife-to-be walked down the aisle. She gave him a small smile but clearly looked rather sullen about the occasion. Certainly not the portrait of a bright blushing bride.

He held out his hand as was tradition and she joined him on the alter, and the ceremony began. He recited his lines coldly… but perfectly…

Then came the moment he dreaded. The “I do’s, the point of no return, the moment where they would be locked into marriage, they would have to exchange a kiss… and soon his parents would reap the benefits as part of the agreement…

He found himself silent… hesitating…

The minister looked at him expectantly. He heard his father cough in annoyance and his mother signal him to “get on with it!”.

He opened his mouth, trying to force the words out… but only feeling sick at trying to say them.

His fiancé loosened her grip… as if already knowing what the answer would be.

“I…. I can’t…” William wheezed out.

Hushed mummers washed over the audience, he could feel both his parents glaring at him, his father’s temper rising quickly.

“I can’t.” He repeated, and his fiancé let go of his hand.

He didn’t even look at anyone else as he bolted. He had begun running as soon as his father stood. His heart raced, the only thing on his mind now was avoiding his father finding him. He raced into his room where he had prepared for the wedding on instinct… and immediately cursed himself for the horrendous idea… because now he was trapped. Without any more hesitation, he threw the doors open to his wardrobe, hurling himself inside and closing the large doors behind him.

He could hear heavy feet stomping down the hall. He could feel himself shaking as he quietly backed up, trying to feel for the back of the wardrobe… maybe… just maybe he could hide himself behind the clothing if he pushed himself back far enough.

Then… he realized he was a solid foot behind where his clothing hung and still hadn’t reached the back. Strange… while the wardrobe was large it was rather shallow… Maybe it was deeper than he remembered?

He backed up further, a little quicker, and suddenly was met with a cold breeze that sent a chill down his back.

He heard the sound of his father bursting into his bedroom and begin throwing things around as he looked for him… but that was nearly all forgotten as he turned around… and realized the wardrobe extended much further, not unlike a tunnel… not only that but a tunnel with another side with cool light.

He stood there rather stupidly for a moment, wondering if at some point he had bashed his head and was now hallucinating… or perhaps he hadn’t woken up yet at all.

He jumped as he heard another slam behind him… his father would check the wardrobe soon…

Deciding to figure it out later he bolted towards the light, it became colder… he nearly slipped on the snow and ice that creeped onto the wood before stumbling out between the branches of several large fir trees.

He fell over in a panic, black suit immediately speckled with white snow, he scrambled and sat behind one of the trees breathing heavily. He heard a door slam… it had to have been the wardrobe door…. So… his father hadn’t seen him or the light in the wardrobe.

He breathed out a shaky breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, putting his head in his knees for a moment as he did his best to calm down. After a moment of light snowflakes making their home in his hair and on top of his shoulders, he stood up… finally taking note of his surroundings… and if perhaps he was actually dreaming.

That fall had certainly felt real.

The cold nipping at his nose....

He pinched his skin… he certainly felt that.

So this really wasn’t a dream?

He looked around, he seemed to be in a snow covered forest, despite the fact it was the middle of July.

“ _Perhaps I’ve somehow ended up on the other side of the world?”_ William thought.

He nearly chided himself for having a stupid thought, however… he had just gotten here through a wardrobe, so perhaps anything was possible.

The trees were certainly taller and grander than any he had seen or heard of in his life. The trunks were wide and thick to support the firs standing tall. They had to be at least as tall as those famous redwoods in America. But it was impossible for these types of trees that were more often than not decorated for the holidays… wasn’t it?

Well now that he was here, what would he even do? Was there any civilization nearby? Or was he out in the middle of nowhere?

Taking a glance back where he came, he could still just barely see the tunnel back to his harsh reality. He thought about what would happen if he went back there. His father would have a hay day taking out all his aggression out on him, that was for certain. He’d have to marry… try his best to consummate the marriage and hope simply that time would be enough to produce a child because the thought of even having to do it once wasn’t appealing to him in the least… at least not with that girl, as kind as she was.

He decided he’d rather risk freezing to death in the middle of a strange forest than go back there.

However… he did go back to grab a thicker coat and trading his dress shoes for some boots before venturing back out into the cold.

He rather enjoyed the quiet chill of winter… it brought a certain peace to it that wasn’t often found in his world. This certainly wasn’t the worst place he could have ended up.

He then found, amongst the trees what appeared to be a gas lit lantern. He gazed up at it shining warmly at him. It was a bit old and rather ornately designed, but it gave him hope. He looked right and left and realized there was a long gap between the trees suggesting this was a commonly used path… with a light. Which meant there was at least a chance of a town being nearby.

Yet, before he could take another step or think another thought, the air around him seemed to drop a little further, his skin bristled as he shivered… and suddenly he was more than aware of a presence behind him.

“…Hello.” A calm and slightly curious voice called to him.

He turned slowly, only to freeze and have to force himself not to gape at the most strange and yet… hauntingly gorgeous man he’d ever laid eyes on.

His skin was a pale white with undertones of light blue that seemed to catch the light in ways that made it seem like his skin had formed out of the snow itself. His light blue outfit itself excepting the white fur collar of his cape seemed to shine in a way that matched his icy complexion. That was all contrasted with his deep blood red eyes and dark black hair. His ears were slightly pointed and his head was tilted, adorned with a calm smile.

“H…Hi….” William said stupidly.

The man stepped a little closer. “Are you… by chance, a human?”

William blinked, rather perplexed at the question. “Of course I am, what else would I be?”

The ice-man chuckled at William’s answer. “Well, your kind drop into our world rarely… but they almost always leave a mark.”

“Your… world?” William asked. “Is this what this place is? A whole other world that I’ve slipped into?”

“Ah, you must be very confused, you poor thing.” He took a step back and placed a hand over his chest. “I am the ruler of this domain. I’d hate for a guest of this land to become lost amongst the snow.”

William realized the ice crown on the man’s head should have given away that he was some kind of royalty. He lowered himself into a slight bow in a panic.

“Ah, I see what… would be the proper way to address you?”

The man laughed and caused William to jump by taking his hand, despite the cold and the ice, he was oddly... warm. “Others know me as the ice king, however for a handsome human such as yourself… simply Sebastian will suffice.”

William felt his face redden. “O-Oh, I see, I can do that.”

“how might I address you? Surely ‘human’ is not your name.”

William straightened up. “William… William T. Spears… er… just William is fine of course.”

“William.” Sebastian repeated, seemingly testing the name on his tongue. “A pleasure to have found you out here in the snow William. It’s rather fortunate your dark attire stands out so well.” He said with a coy smile.

“Now… How about I take you back to my home so you may warm up? You must be freezing out here.”

William had a thought in the back of his mind that perhaps he shouldn’t trust this man he just met so quickly, stranger danger and all… however… what choice did he have really? Not to mention… Sebastian was… rather enchanting. No matter how this went, it would certainly be an adventure, wouldn’t it?

“I… yes… thank you, I appreciate your offer.” William responded slightly shyly.

He was led through the trees, and he nearly gasped as they approached a pure white horse with an innate silver saddle.

Sebastian leapt onto the saddle with one swift moment, then offered his hand to William who took it without hesitation and allowed himself to be hoisted up onto the horse in front of the king. His back pressed to the man’s warm chest and arms wrapped around him in order to hold onto the horses reigns. He’d never been this close to anyone before, and certainly not a man for that matter.

…he didn’t hate it in the slightest.

“Hold on tight William.” Sebastian hushed, feeling William stiffen.

William gripped on tight to the saddle with his hands and clenched his legs slightly as the steed took off through the snow, gliding through it effortlessly. He slowly relaxed into the rhythm of it. His mind was still pulling a slight blank with the whole situation, but… well… might as well “go with the flow”.

Not to mention… it was exciting, wasn’t it? To suddenly find yourself it a world that almost seemed to be a dream come true, a world to escape to.

Soon it became apparent as the landscape crept up toward the sky, and the hard rocky tips of earth that had been shoved up out of the earth long ago made their appearance behind the tall forest trees, they were headed towards a mountain range.

It wasn’t until the trees became fewer in numbers that William was presented with the sight of a grand castle, straight out of a storybook, perched among the cliffs, towers climbing high into the sky while also blending into the mountains around it. Its walls were dusted with ice and snow here and there, and one pillar seemed to be made entirely out of snow and ice itself.

If William had been a little younger, he might have been grinning ear to ear in excitement… but being an adult and well… the way he was… he kept those feelings locked tight inside him.

He certainly still felt them just as strongly though.

“Are there places like this in your world William?” Sebastian asked in his ear, causing William to snap out of his slight delirium from being in awe.

“There are castles still standing in some places certainly… … but nothing like this.” William stated honestly. “This is… incredible.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Thank you, I made at least part of it myself.”

“Is that why you’re called the ice king? You can control the ice and snow?” William asked, already knowing the answer in theory… but he wanted to hear it out loud.

“Guilty, as charged.” Sebastian answered.

When they approached the castle gates, William watched curiously as they swung open before them and closed right behind them with no one manning them. The horse came to a graceful stop before the large black doors nestled in white stone brick. The handles on the door were clear and rounded ice, beautifully carved.

Sebastian stepped down first, and once again held out his hand to let William down. He guided the awestruck man to the doors, which once again greeted them by opening on their own. They entered a grand hall lined with many lifelike looking ice sculptures, icicles hung down from the ceiling like they were their own odd sort of chandeliers.

“The cold doesn’t really bother me.” Sebastian explained. “But I’ll make sure you’re plenty warm, don’t worry.” He said softly.

William took his attention away from admiring his surroundings and remembered, he was indeed, quite cold.

“Oh, you’re very kind, I’m so sorry to be a bother…” He said, having a moment of feeling bad over the possibility of being a burden.

“It’s no trouble at all, in fact, it’s been a while since I’ve had company. Not to mention, I’m always curious when humans from your world stumble into ours.”

William sped up slightly to keep his pace with the ice king as he strode confidently down the hall.

“Which brings me to ask… how did you happen to stumble into this world William?” The king asked, flicking his eyes to gaze at the slightly smaller man.

“Er… well, I was hiding in a wardrobe, but then the wardrobe didn’t have a back to it, instead I found myself in a tunnel, then I came out here.” William explained.

“A wardrobe? How peculiar.” Sebastian hummed.

“Is that… a rare way to get here even for this world?” William asked curiously.

“Well, no human has ever gotten here in the same way twice. From the stories I’ve heard that have spread across our realm, there was a girl that fell here through a rabbit hole, another came here via a twister that dropped her and her house on a witch, the last one I heard about wound up here after falling into a well.”

William furrowed his brows. “A twister and a rabbit hole? I rather think the wardrobe was the least bizarre way to get here now.”

Sebastian laughed. “You may be right. Now… you mentioned you were hiding. Whatever were you hiding from? A beast of some sort?”

William grunted. “He may as well be a beast. He’s been nothing but a monster of a man ever since I was born.”

Sebastian quirked his eyebrow. “Indeed? How has this beastly man haunted you for so long?”

William sighed. “He’s my father.”

“Ahhh, I see. Well, perhaps then, it is fortunate that a window opened to let you escape here.” Sebastian chirped, opening a large wooden door into what was possibly the fanciest and largest guest bedroom he’d ever seen.

The bed was adorned with dark green sheets and dark slightly transparent curtains that hung from a beautifully carved bed frame made from solid dark oak.

“I hope these accommodations will suite you.” Sebastian walked into the room with him and crossed over the fireplace that had plenty of wood beside it. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to handle the fireplace yourself… as you might be able to guess…” Sebastian gestured to himself. “Me and fire don’t particularly go together.”

William stopped gawking and offered a polite bow of gratitude to the king. “It’s extraordinary, I’m incredibly grateful for your generosity.”

Sebastian hummed and smiled. “So polite William, do you hail from Royalty or something? You’re causing me to believe I’m in the presence of a prince or other form of nobility.”

William turned a bit red. “Me? A prince?” He stammered before collecting myself. “No, simply, I was raised to speak as such.”

Sebastian smirked. “Ah, well, perhaps I’ll be able to get you to relax over time.”

He opened the door to a large closet. “There’s plenty of changes of clothing in here as well, plenty of them should help you warm up as well, and you’ll have to give me about an hour, then I’ll be able to get someone to make sure the water in the washroom comes out warm.” He explained.

William was more than relieved that this was not a fantasy realm based purely on a time period without personal hygiene.

“I appreciate the thought.” William said thankfully.

It was quite amazing all of this was here already, given the king had alluded to not having many guests. Not to mention just from a glance it seemed as if the clothing were simply… made for him. It was even made up mostly of his preferred colors… all of which on the dark side.

However, this man could control ice and snow, so maybe it was just…. Magic?? Perhaps he could learn the rules of such things in this world with time.

“I do hope you’ll be comfortable, I’d like to learn more about you and where you come from. I hope that’s not too invasive of me.”

William shook his head. “No! Not at all. I can assure you I’ll be more than comfortable here. Thank you very much. I’m… very curious about where I’ve ended up as well. I just hope I won’t be too much trouble.”

Sebastian smiled. “Not at all, rather, I had nearly forgotten what my own voice sounded like It’s been so long since I’ve spoken with another being at all.”

William looked at him curiously. “You’re a king though, certainly that must mean you have plenty of visitors… or at least perhaps other nobility you meant with.”

Sebastian shook his head. “Ah well… my abilities are somewhat… _unnatural_. Most find it rather terrifying, not to mention not many seem to like the constant winter that comes along with the kingdom I rule.”

William straightened his glasses. “What on earth is so wrong with winter and the snow? It’s rather peaceful isn’t it? The snowfall seemed light, it’s not as if it’s a blizzard… not to mention if it’s always been like that… I rather like the peace that comes with Winter, there’s nothing frightening about it.” William stated honestly.

Sebastian chuckled. “I think I’m going to like having you around a lot William.”


	2. Ignite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What else do you do during your first time in an enchanted castle, but admire it?

Sebastian left William alone in the room to warm up by the fire and settle into his new surroundings, but not before politely asking him to join him for dinner in the evening. When William accepted the generous offer, he let him know he’d leave a clear trail for William to follow so he wouldn’t get lost in the large castle.

As William sat watching the fire burn before him, he took a deep breath. This still did not really feel real, and yet it was, all his senses told him it was very much real and happening right before his eyes. After an hour, he tested the water in the washroom, true to Sebastian’s word, the water came out nice and warm. With a quick shower he was able to chase the final whisps of chill from his bones.

More than happy to be out of his drab wedding attire, he chose a black casual dress shirt and pants. As he thought… it did fit him rather perfectly, as if tailored to hug his form specifically in the most comfortable way. He threw on a dark green vest that had caught his eyes and pulled on a rather fancy black coat with a fur collar to keep him warm throughout the castle halls.

He had to admit, as he exited his guest room, he was rather excited to learn more about this mysterious Ice King. Sebastian, the castle, and his attire seemed so strange and yet he carried himself and spoke in such a way that made you almost entirely forget such things.

He smiled to himself as he saw a trail of ice down the center of the hallway that had been left behind for him. As he walked, he found himself admiring the fractal patterns that were very clear in the thin ice trail. It was quietly gorgeous and only looked more-so the longer you gazed at it. He could easily see himself becoming lost in admiring it… much like the Ice King himself.

He arrived in a grand dining hall that seemed to have been built to handle a large audience. A large black chandelier hung from the ceiling, yet instead of being lit with fire or candles, several large ice crystals hung from it that emitted a soft blue glow.

Sebastian was standing there waiting for him, and greeted William with a slightly playful bow. He had also changed and dressed down. His ice crown was no longer perched on his head. He was in his own casual white dress shirt, the top three buttons hung open, exposing his collar bone, and his sleeves were loose and transparent and seemed to be made up of those same sorts of fractals William had just been admiring in the ice.

“How lovely to see you again, I see you’ve been able to get comfortable.” Sebastian remarked.

William bowed his head slightly. “Yes, thank you very much. Your provisions for me are incredibly generous and I’m very grateful for it”

Sebastian smiled in return and pulled a large wooden chair out for William to sit in. “I’m delighted to hear it’s to your liking.”

“I’m rather flattered in fact.” William admitted.

William felt his face heat up as he graciously took his seat.

“Thank you.” He said politely.

He had been taught certain amounts of politeness and chivalry for keeping up appearances… though he’d never been on the receiving end. It was… nice…

Sebastian sat on the other side of the table across from him. He then leaned forward with a cat-like smile.

“Now William, do you have any food preferences?” He asked.

“Oh… no not really, I’m not picky. Er… well perhaps except beets.” He admitted shyly.

Sebastian laughed. “Anything but beets. Noted.”

He waved his hand and William watched in awe as small crystal snowflakes fell from his fingertips, and right before his eyes a modest feast of what appeared to be a glazed ham and several vegetable side dishes.

“H… how did you??” William stuttered, adjusting his glasses as if doing so would help him understand the situation any better.

Sebastian laughed. “Ah, well. I realize it’s likely impressive for you, but despite specializing in ice… conjuring something like this is sort of considered the first type of magic you ever learn. And of course, it’s preferable to me to having to stand in front of a hot stove and try to prepare things myself” He explained as he served himself.

William slowly followed suite, considering Sebastian’s words. The meal smelled rather heavenly…

After thinking for a moment, he spoke: “If you don’t mind me asking, is fire more than the normal amount of dangerous for you? Will you melt… or?”

Sebastian chuckled. “No, nothing like that. It’s more uncomfortable than anything, my abilities are also a lot weaker in dry, hot air. It’s more like I get dehydrated easily and don’t like not being able to pull moisture from the air.”

William hummed. “Oh, I see that makes sense.”

“Humans often seem incredibly perplexed and amazed by the magic and creatures in this world. It’s rather hard for me to picture an existence without it.” Sebastian mused. “Though, I certainly don’t mind having someone around that admires my abilities so openly.” He added with a teasing dramatic flourish.

William smiled slightly. “It’s all like something I would have read in a story book. We… have stories of this sort of world, but that’s all it ever is… a story…”

Sebastian quirked his head slightly. “Indeed? Could you recall an example by memory?”

William thought for a moment. “Well… my favorite growing up was always Snow White.” He admitted slowly, realizing he’d never talked about this out loud.

Sebastian looked a bit surprised for a second. “Really? What is the tale about may I ask?”

William took a moment to swallow a bit of his meal before going into the story.

“Well, It’s about a princess, her father, the king remarries, and her step mother becomes queen. The father disappears, and she’s left with the step mother. However the step mother is both incredibly vain and envious of her own step-daughter’s beauty. Then one day she tries to have a huntsman kill Snow, so the queen will be known as the fairest one rather than Snow White. The huntsman can’t bring himself to do it… she runs away… long story short, she ends up staying with seven dwarves, but the queen ends up finding her, disguises herself as an old witch and gives Snow White an apple, but it’s actually poisonous, so when she bites into it she falls into a sleeping death. But then, as tends to go, she gets a kiss from a prince, the queen dies… happily ever after and all that.”

Sebastian hummed thoughtfully. “Well there is a _prince_ in our world that’s become known as Snow White for his somewhat ghostly complexion.”

William looked at Sebastian surprised. “Truly??”

Sebastian nodded. “Princes are… considered incredibly special. With a kiss they can indeed slow the process of a curse on anyone, and for someone they love… they can cure just about anything. Princesses on the other hand all have their own distinct abilities and have powers that allow them to both protect and fight for their kingdoms”

William realized he had started leaning forward, utterly fascinated with the rules of this world.

“Princes and Princesses are often treated as the greatest of heroes, and many of them will take time to ride out into the world and seek their destiny.” Sebastian explained.

He then looked up at William curiously. “Why was this story of “Snow White” your favorite as a child?”

William shifted in his chair slightly in embarrassment. “Well… It’s a little silly…” He took a deep breath. “Both my parents… well I saw a lot of the kind of cruelty the Queen showed in that story In them and… I don’t know, as a child I had the rather insane idea of… finding a new family… and being saved by some sort of well dressed royal on a horse and never having to see them again…”

Sebastian tilted his head with a calm smile. “I don’t think it’s silly or ‘insane’ at all.”

William looked up at him. Only… as he stared at the ice king he realized… well… he had escaped into this world from his parents and been _literally_ saved from dying in the cold by a royal... that took him to a castle on a horse. Had he… ended up in his own sort of fairy tale??

Wasn’t that typically a romantic thing in such stories though? He barely knew this man…

Then again, the princesses in those stories didn’t seem to know the princes very well either, it was just… “true love”.

William felt his heart flutter. That sort of notion was rather ridiculous… though…

The Ice King _was_ rather handsome, he’d thought so since the moment he laid eyes on him…

William then wanted to slap himself. What was he thinking?? Instead he tried to force himself to look back down at his nearly empty plate to hopefully save face.

Sebastian’s smile had grown wider almost as if he had picked up on William’s train of thought.

“Before I realized you were a human, and even after hearing the way you spoke, I really was convinced you were a prince yourself. You certainly look and act the part.”

William finally _actually_ turned red in the face. “Me?? Ah…I’m incredibly flattered… well I’m certainly sure I don’t have any royal blood in me, except perhaps incredibly distantly, but that goes for most people.”

“Ah, well you don’t necessarily become royalty through direct bloodline. It’s more your just born with it and find your path eventually.”

William looked at Sebastian perplexed. “That must get very confusing.”

Sebastian laughed. “It certainly can be. You’re either born with some connection to power, or you attain it through your own means and some sort of sacrifice.”

As they finished their meal, William allowed Sebastian to lead him away from the dining room to walk along the castle halls for a tour of the vast space. As the started to drift into darker areas, blue crystals that took the place of lights much like the chandelier had lit up before them.

“How did you come into your abilities?” William asked curiously.

Sebastian hummed. “I had certain traits to me that could be considered a connection to power, but it was very… _mild_ , and I wasn’t particularly good at anything. However, my father liked talking me up to the point where it got me in trouble. I did have to make a sacrifice in order to gain a strong connection to power, and it just so happened I had an affinity for ice.”

William thought perhaps he shouldn’t pry more. The Ice King was being rather vague… so perhaps the events that had transpired were relatively personal. So perhaps if he had to ask a question he could also keep it vague.

“Was the sacrifice you had to make… terribly harsh?” William asked carefully.

Sebastian was silent for a long moment, pausing in front of several curious ice sculptures that appeared to depict people in fancy dress running or falling forward that decorated the hall.

“I had to sacrifice a…. _marriage_ I didn’t particularly want to be tied to anyway. So I’d say… no. It was not harsh. Nor do I regret it.”

William stood a little closer to the Ice King. “That’s rather ironic… the reason I was hiding from my father before I ended up here… was because I was supposed to be married.”

Sebastian quirked his head at William. “Did you not particularly like your betrothed?”

William shrugged. “She was a kind enough woman. The marriage was arranged as my parents were gunning for financial relief. However the thought of… marrying her… having to… go further than that, have a child? I couldn’t do it…” He explained honestly.

“Well, I can certainly relate to that feeling. We may… be of similar origins William.” Sebastian agreed.

William smiled very slightly. “Well, I wouldn’t have minded getting some ice powers out of that whole fiasco.”

Sebastian laughed. “You never know, perhaps you ended up here to find something about yourself.”

“That is a nice thought.”

It was then William was led out onto a balcony, he quickened his pace and leaned against the railing as soon as the view of the night sky from high up into the mountains appeared. While snow still lightly fell, the clouds in the distance amongst the mountains had parted to reveal two large moons, one slightly smaller than the other, that floated amongst the stars. The moonlight lit up the snow down below, and the whole world as far as he could see felt… peaceful…

“If I came here to find something about myself…” William mused softly. “I certainly don’t want to have to leave when I figure it out… ever.”

Sebastian slowly came to stand by his side and leaned against the railing himself. “I wouldn’t mind if you stayed a long while… I should think if you came here for a reason, I also found you for a reason.”

William’s heart fluttered for the second time that night. He didn’t know what this all meant yet… but as far as he was concerned, he never wanted to go back.

Just then, the quite peace of the night was interrupted. Sebastian narrowed his eyes as he spotted a small brigade of what seemed like knights charging their way through the mountain peak on horseback. William saw Sebastian’s hands clench around the railing, and the metal begin to freeze. William withdrew his hands from the metal railing half worried if he kept them there he might become frozen to it.

“William… remember when I mentioned there were some that were not very happy with the snow that covers my domain?” Sebastian said through slightly gritted teeth.

“Yes, but..?”

“What I meant with that… is there are some knights that seek to come for my head with the _idiotic_ notion that me being dead will make the snow vanish.”

William stiffened. “What? But… you haven’t hurt anyone right? It is just…. Snowy here, right?”

Sebastian nodded slowly. “I have to defend myself, stay on the floor up here William, I don’t want them to harm you in case they assume the worst of you as well.”

William nodded slowly but nervously. There were a lot of men down there armed to the teeth…

Sebastian turned and began charging downstairs, leaving William up on the balcony. William watched as he saw Sebastian come to stand in the courtyard down below as the knights charged in for the attack. He watched half horrified, and half in awe as the Ice King conjured a wall of spiked icicles from the ground that just barely stopped in front of the horses, who were quickly spooked and forced many of the knights to dismount to continue their attack. It seemed Sebastian was able to easily use walls of ice and heavy winds to push his attackers away from him. It was clear he had been through this _many_ times.

However…. William tensed as he spotted several dark figures scaling the walls on the other side, archers… it seemed. Did Sebastian see them or hear them? No, from what it looked like… the only way to spot them was if you were looking down from above. The Ice King had his back turned to them distracted with the attacking knights.

William panicked. Sebastian _had_ told him to remain up above, but he couldn’t just let him be assassinated!

William took off, back into the castle, down the hall, trying to remember the way to go as best he could.

Sebastian… even if he had just met him, was the first one to show him kindness in _so_ long. He had to make it, he _had_ to.

William slipped slightly on ice near the front entrance, stumbling his way out the door. He spotted an archer on the wall up above in the middle of taking his shot… the arrow left his bow… he was too late! The Ice King was going to…!

“NO!” William shouted, not sure where the pure energy of panic and rage had come from as he reached his hand out.

Then… almost in slow motion the most peculiar thing happened. Green flames seemed to erupt from the palm of William’s hand. Sebastian had begun to turn in William’s direction at hearing him shout and saw as the arrow that had been about to plunge into him, instead burst into flames and fell into a small pile of ash right in front of him.

William stared forward completely and utterly perplexed. The fighting had paused, both the knights and the archers also seemingly not sure what to do with what seemed to be a new “challenger” entering the battle.

Sebastian stared at him for a moment more before turning his attention to the distracted archers, sending a gust of wind and snow towards them, knocking them off the wall. With that, the knights seemed to decide to quit while they were ahead and retreat.

When Sebastian had ensured they were gone, he turned his attention back to William who was still standing frozen in place trying to figure out what happened.

“Wh… what… I don’t know how I??” William stammered as Sebastian stood before him.

Sebastian took the hand the William had seemingly conjured fire from and turned it palm side up and looked at it curiously.

“Perhaps… you belong in this world after all.” He then turned the hand over and planted a small kiss on William’s knuckles, causing the perplexed man to stiffen and turn red. “Thank you for saving my life William.”

Curiouser and curiouser it seemed.


	3. Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William discovers things about himself... not all of them things he likes.

It was not anything William ever thought he’d have to do; ponder how or why green flames had erupted from him in a moment of panic. When night had fallen, he had spent some time trying to ignite the flames in his palm once more… yet… nothing came. Some of the goings on of the day still had him perplexed to if he were dreaming or not, even if this abnormality would become the new normal.

Sleep came easy and he found himself rising once more with the sun. He sat on the seat by the window, watching the morning light creeping over the mountains.

“ _maybe you belong here after all…”_

Maybe he did.

Looking out the window at the vast landscape, meeting a King of Ice that seemed curious to hear all he had to say, well it was much preferred to all the time spent alone, berated… never good enough, never strong enough… never man enough in his parent’s eyes…

He frowned, curling around himself at the memories of being so young, so scared to be locked inside a dark space until he had cried for so long his voice became horse and his eyes became dry. Each time thinking, they may just forget him, and he never would be let out again.

It boiled his blood. He knew it was wrong for a parent to do that to their child. However, there was that toxic idea that had stuck to his brain like tar… the idea that had been instilled in him that if he suffered… it was his own fault.

He uncurled himself and stood up in a rush of frustration at such things, only to jump as the fireplace suddenly roared to life with green flames, immediately bathing the room in an earthy green glow.

William stared at it and looked back at his hands.

He dearly hoped these… abilities weren’t purely tied to his frustration, he didn’t particularly want to make himself stressed in order to find more about this.

As if on cue there was a gentle questioning rapping at the door.

“Ah… I’m awake, and decent…” William called calmly.

The Ice King entered with a chuckle and flicked his eyes over to the fireplace.

“Curious, have you discovered anything?” The Ice King asked, coming to stand before William curiously.

“It was… well, another accident. I was lost in thought, became stressed and … well that happened.” William explained.

Sebastian hummed thoughtfully. “Sometimes one’s abilities are closely tied to their emotions.”

William sighed. “Well, I must admit, seeing as every time this has happened, I’ve been under stress, I don’t know if that’s a _good_ thing in my case. Isn’t it bad for power to come from a… _bad_ place?”

“Perhaps, your subconscious is tying your show of power purely to cases of fear and restraining itself at all other times… would you… consider yourself an openly emotional person Will?” Sebastian asked.

“Well… I supposed not.” William answered truthfully. “I was raised to keep such things to myself quite honestly.”

“Ah, that may be the problem then.” Sebastian noted. “One’s abilities are often an extension of themselves, so if you’ve been… _repressed_ in certain ways, that can mean your abilities are repressed as well.”

William sighed and sat back down in the window seat. “That’s not surprising.”

Sebastian slowly sat beside him and William’s eyes flicked down to their knees that were now touching before looking back up at Sebastian’s face.

“Do you want to fully explore these abilities William?” Sebastian asked calmly.

William bit the inside of his cheek as he thought. “I suppose I do, it feels like I _should_ pursue such a mystery about myself, though…” He shifted in his seat, clenching his hands on his lap anxiously. “…I don’t know how I’m exactly supposed to be more… _emotional_ on the spot.”

Sebastian chuckled. “You don’t necessarily have to be outwardly emotional, it’s more a matter of… knowing yourself. Confidence is often key in these matters. They are your abilities to command, so they must bend to your will.”

William hummed thoughtfully.

“That being said, there _are_ ways we can physically help you.” Sebastian suggested.

William raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. “Oh?”

“Well, for one, the _cold_ and the _mountains_ naturally help me, when I take a moment to be at peace I’m naturally drawn to those places and know where to find them even if I’m far away.” Sebastian explained.

William tilted his head. “Indeed?”

Sebastian nodded. “Do me a favor and close your eyes William.”

William looked perplexed for a moment before slowly shutting his eyes.

“Unclench your jaw… and breathe deeply.” Sebastian said in a voice so soft it gave William goosebumps.

He also realized he had not even known he had been clenching his jaw. Despite that, he did his best to loosen it and began taking in slow deep breathes.

After a moment he could swear he felt a certain amount of warmth in his chest. It was… unfamiliar, yet pleasant.

“Do you feel a sensation in your chest?” Sebastian asked.

William’s heart skipped a beat and he nodded calmly.

“Focus on that sensation, and let it take you and your thoughts with it.”

He felt as though he was descending, despite his physical body not going anywhere. It scared him at first. Visions of dark, black rock deep below the earth, caverns that had been cooled long ago and yet carried memories of heat blasting through the solid crust, forming the twisting tunnels they now were. Deeper… yes… heat, red hot fire…

Power.

It was overwhelming.

William’s eyes shot open. “This mountain was once a volcano… there remains some activity deep underground…” He said without hesitation.

“Ah-ha, then perhaps one of the ancient lava tunnels may provide you with a stronger connection to that.” Sebastian suggested.

William paused for a long moment before turning to Sebastian. “That… intense sense of power, is that how you feel surrounded by ice??”

“Indeed. Enthralling, isn’t it?”

William nodded, still a bit shellshocked. Some sort of warning bell sounded in his mind of such a feeling of power and control becoming addicting, even within just a moment of feeling it he had briefly become completely entranced by it… and yet , he pushed such a thought out of his mind.

The Ice King had taken his hand again to gracefully lead him to stand up. This ruler of the cold really _was_ starting to make him feel like some sort of royalty with the way he was being treated.

“Come Will, there’s an entrance to one of these tunnels in the dungeon of this castle. I can show you other curiosities you may be interested in on the way back as well.” Sebastian finished his sentence with a little wink.

William nearly began scolding himself. Was he truly swooning over some polite manners and a few winks?

Sebastian didn’t let go of his hand once as they began their descent through the halls and down a narrow-curved flight of stairs. William began feeling slightly uncomfortable at the narrow dark passage. Seemingly sensing his discomfort, William suddenly found a gentle arm around his shoulder that nearly made him let out an embarrassing squeaking noise of surprise. His mind felt a bit fuzzy at the idea of the ice king holding him so closely and sweetly to comfort him. That warmth in his chest feeling even stronger and more comforting. He felt even better when they stepped out of the stairwell, and low and behold, part of the stone walls of the dungeon were open to a entrance into a lava tunnel. Despite any lava being long gone from the upper levels of this tunnel, the mere channel that led deep into the planet being open before him made William feel closely connected to the heat of the very earth itself.

He thought about what Sebastian had said, the idea of having the confidence and will-power to command the elements…

That power…

If his parents knew he was gaining this type of power…

Maybe they’d finally respect him. Think twice before torturing him another day… do what _he_ said, what _he_ wanted.

There was something new joining the warmth deep inside of him. Something repressed in the darkest corners of himself for so long it had begun to rot and fester.

Anger? No… a deep vengeful rage and pain that twisted together to form something that was threatening to come bubbling out of him. A need to control after feeling so out of control of his own life. It was if the child that he had once been had retreated here after their innocence was lost, their happiness stolen by cruelty had stowed itself away and waited…

William locked his jaw, this power _will_ do what he wants. Almost outside of his own thoughts his arm raised, and his fingers snapped sharply. The sound echoed commandingly in the hall around them, and those same green flames instantly erupted from every torch, bathing the previously dark dungeon in that bright green glow, warming the dark drafty room as well.

William closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, that action alone, letting such buried feelings bubble up had exhausted him. Something about it was different from that initial warmth as well… the gentler kind of warmth and power he had felt before… it felt… destructive. Once again he felt slightly worried. What did that say about him? He had never acknowledged his own anger and pain, he acknowledged it about as much as things like happiness and love… which was… not at all.

He nearly jumped when the Ice King placed his hands on his shoulders. He felt warm for the most part, yet the breath that grazed against his cheek as he spoke was freezing, and caused a shiver to run down his spine.

“Quite impressive… fire and ice… I think we make quite a pair, don’t you?”

William turned, finding his and the Ice King’s faces startlingly close. He and Sebastian locked gazes… and William’s chest began feeling heavy, heartbeat becoming so fast he was worried his face would actually slip, betray him, and show just how flustered he actually was.

“I… suppose so…” He swallowed hard. “opposites attract and all that…”

That damn smirk Sebastian responded with pissed him off. He looked so devilishly handsome… it infuriated him.


End file.
